KOBBY ACHEAMPONG has admitted that he rubs away people from Kumasi. He has shown that his mind and character can be weighed like butter and sugar. Whatever happened to influence him to make such incorrigible comments was a test of which he has failed. The heyday of disintegrating the nation is over. He has now confessed his faults in the plural, and denied them in singular. It is quite absurd for a section to describe such callous utterances as amoral. Speaking with Shamima Ishmael, the host of the programme at City FM, on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, he ascribed to the people from Kumasi as “Kookoase Nkurasefoo”. He vehemently stressed and repeatedly said so. Which literally means the people from this geographical area are uncivilized and unsophisticated? His conscience warned him before it reproached him. He is full of ill qualities. He should grow up and know that words mean a lot He had the platform to show his prejudice against the people of Kumasi. He naively claimed that if one lives in Kumasi for a long time, that individual eventually becomes a “Kookooase Kuraseni”. He was quite emotional and angry. It was an ultimate platform to show that he’s the NDC’s blowhard as he appears to be - and he blew it. It was an oddball behavior. Let’s wade in slowly. When Shamima asked him to comment on Mr. Owusu Afriyie’s (Sir John), the NPP general secretary, contribution, he quickly took a swipe to castigate Kumasi and the people who hail from that geographical area. That was an opportunity for him to play his high card. He was doggedly pursuing his party’s nod, and he truly demonstrated his general rude and arrogance. It was an unthinkable shot. He actually kept his bargain – ill tempered – bargain of the programme. He did so by investing every fiber of his being into his derogatory comments. He was really on a roll, ranting like there was no tomorrow. He spoke as if he was speaking over a beer. His comments left listeners and even the programme host stunned, absolutely stunned and worried. He cursed audibly on Kumasi. This is a man from a giant propaganda factory. His outrageous comments speak volumes about his mediocrity. He is a pointy headed figure who is so drunk with power. It is obviously evident that he is a ‘matured’ politician and leader who is easily influenced to behave like a kid. He has proved to Ghanaians that he is the type of a ‘man’ that if one is looking for something within him, he can easily find. But as a Deputy Minister of a nation, you need to think before you speak! It was even an insult on the soul of Tetteh Quarshie of blessed memory. He has extremely demoralized the country’s hardworking cocoa farmers and the entire farmers. There can be no doubt that the tribal paternalism displayed by Kobby and its intended consequences can be as poisonous and pernicious as any other form of discrimination. A mean person could interpret the change of heart to reflect an “I’ve got mine” attitude. I will leave that to a mean NDC person. He revealed a weak command of facts and arguments that no amount of hand-waving by the host, Shamima, could calm him. All effort to restrain him proved futile because he was on a mission. His aim was to degrade the people of Kumasi. This is purely an example of man’s inhumanity against man. He premeditated his vermin to spew on the listening public and his target group. The hard-charged Kobby, cursed audibly on Kumasi. People from Kumasi don’t deserve such a flippant comment. Such erratic and imperious behaviour could have had a price in flesh and blood. He has clearly demonstrated the darker side of his political perfection. For how long will our nation be screwed up, without bringing to order way-ward government officials? After all it is the taxpayer’s money that keeps him there. On the programme, he declared his position clearly as an anti-Kumasi. An attempt to wage an incalculable damage to the people of Kumasi has failed. He has no moral right to be in the nation’s public office. This is one of the characters advising our president; so one could imagine. His comment meant that if he gets the chance, he will MOW down all the people of Kumasi. One more obnoxious thing about Kobby that I nearly forgot to cover is he’s a famous hog. In fact he is the absolute worst. He’s unpolished and unrefined for public ears. How could he make such an earth shaking comment? One wonders what actually came into his mind to hurriedly paint Kumasiwith such a lurid picture without a second thought. This kind of outrageous comment is being amply covered by President Mills’ administration. He should tell the country that he is not a dumb leader and dead on the cross between his officials and the people of Ghana. No comprehensible statement can be made in the face of a stupefying behaviour. The president needs not to seem blink whiles the people took the streets, Kobby needs to be FIRED for inciting hatred. Power ought to serve as a check to power. It is quite a poisonous stab to the people from that geographical area. As a peace-loving nation, we need not to avert our eyes on those kind of stinking remarks. This can easily jeopardize the peace of our country. Kumasi is quite a populous city in the country with high diversity of different ethnic groups. Currently its region, Ashanti Region, accounts for 19.1% of the national total population. Kumasi is a city with its suburbs named after the respective ethnic groups, who live there, i.e. Anloga by the Ewes, Fanti-New Town by the Fantis, Moshie Zongo, Aboabo and Asawase for the Muslims/ the Northerners etc. It is the most highly cosmopolitan city in Ghana. It’s the only city in Ghana that contains the oldest mosque. The Kokooase area contains respectable and fine people and institutions as well. The Kokooase area has given birth to industrious doctors, engineers, lawyers and professors etc. Even the comatose of Africa, Nigeria, are proud of the quality education delivered there – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). According to Kobby, whoever comes out or passes through the Kumasi system, in his books, is a Kokooase Kuraseni. It is such that whoever hails from there irrespective of ethnic background that person is from Kumasi. The raw materials (gold, bauxite, timber and COCOA etc)from that geographical area account for high share of the Ghana’s foreign trade revenue. And all these are found in the forest and are worked on by people. And he earns his salary on the sweat and toil of these hardworking but voiceless people. He is the deputy Minister of Tourism yet not cognoscente of the true value of Kumasi. Kobby’s conduct should serve as a check to his colleagues – with kindred spirit – to take a second look at their public utterances. Private passions grow tired and wear themselves out; political passions, never. As the country is doing its possible best to change from tribalism to nationalism, he does not see it in that light. Much is expected of our state officials to move us as people towards the fraternity of a nation. Irrespective of the circumstance, we did not expect the deputy minister to descend too low into an ugly gutter of politics. This utterly describes him as complete retard. The NDC party has a very annoying habit of proving political points by telling horror stories that are not even true to begin with. A well meaning and modern peace laden society need not to entertain such a crass comment! The Asantehene has initiated the Otumfuo Educational Fund to aid the people propel into the “Accra Horizon,” and also former President Kufour’s led government initiated a 4 year-SHS educational reform to at least elevate the Kumasi people from the “Kokooase Nkurasesem,” but ironically, your current government is doing his best to kill the move to help us. So ‘Country Man’ Kobby, on behalf of the ‘vulnerable’ but potentially able people of “Kokooase Akurase,” as you have been smart enough to have identified and delivered a public hint, you are in office now, we humbly urge you to use your high office to elevate the “Accra Horizon.”